Course: Analysis of modern drama

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Course title Analysis of modern drama
Course code KDU/AMD
Organizational form of instruction Lecture + Seminar
Level of course Bachelor
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 5
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Pavlišová Jitka, Mgr. Ph.D.
Course content
The individual sessions will clarify for students the principles of lyrisation and epicisation in modern drama, which have contributed significantly to the non-dramatic/post-dramatic approach to writing for the theatre, as well as key aspects of the 'internal' and 'external' subversion of classical dramatic structure, particularly in the theatre of the absurd and epic drama. Particular attention will be paid to the process of transforming drama into what is known as a 'theatrical text', which has become the subject of numerous discussions in both theatre studies and literary studies in recent years. This process will be demonstrated in more detail using theatre texts by authors from the last third of the 20th century (Peter Handke, Heiner Müller, Elfriede Jelinek, Rainald Goetz, etc.), who have fundamentally (and in many respects definitively) altered the form and structure of the dramatic text.

Learning activities and teaching methods
Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook), Demonstration, Activating (Simulations, Games, Dramatization)
  • Homework for Teaching - 2 hours per semester
  • Attendace - 2 hours per semester
  • Preparation for the Exam - 2 hours per semester
Learning outcomes
Lecturer: Jitka Pavlišová This course explores how modern dramatic texts can be analysed and interpreted using various methodological approaches (close reading, performance criticism, etc.). A selected text or texts will be subjected to thorough examination based on an understanding of the historical context, the author's background, genre characteristics, structural and thematic analysis, and so on. This theoretically and analytically oriented seminar will focus on a wide range of approaches and concepts relating to drama, which, beginning in the modern era and in the context of the so-called 'crisis of drama', underwent significant changes in content and, in particular, form throughout the 20th century.
correctly interprets and critically analyses texts in the field of drama theory - is familiar with the basic theoretical and analytical concepts relating to the issues of modern drama and contemporary playwriting - is able to apply theoretical concepts and appropriate specialist terminology when analysing dramatic or theatrical texts
Prerequisites
A basic knowledge of literature theory (at least at secondary school level) and of the concepts covered in the introductory lectures to theatre studies, or in lectures focusing on the fundamentals of theatre theory.

Assessment methods and criteria
Oral exam, Student performance, Analysis of Creative works (Music, Pictorial,Literary)

It is absolutely essential that students are prepared for each lesson, i.e. that they have read the dramatic and theatrical texts very carefully, as these will be analysed together in the following lesson. Active participation in discussions and the students' own creativity in proposing approaches to the (dramaturgical) analysis of the chosen text are also important and encouraged. The course concludes with an oral examination - an analysis of a given dramatic/theatrical text in situ.
Recommended literature


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Theatre and Performance studies (2024) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Theatre and Performance studies (2024) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Theatre and Performance studies (2026) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -